Tethered 02 - Conjure Read Online Free PDF Page A

into the front pockets of his shorts, his shoulders hunched up around his head. There was an awkwardness building between us that had never been present before.
    “I talked with Adam on the way here. Everyone’s parents are excited to meet you tonight,” Kace said, breaking the silence that was choking me.
    An empty feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and I swallowed hard. “Really? That’s good.”
    Was it, though? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I was about to meet all of these people who wanted me to be their savior for some reason. Couldn’t they just continue to buy their spells from Theo’s family and not take advantage of their own children’s powers?
    I didn’t know where the thought had come from, but once it entered my mind, I couldn’t ignore it. How was what they were wanting not wrong or greedy in the eyes of their children? What was with these people?
    “Is Admer supposed to be here, too?” I asked. “I mean, I’ve already met him, obviously, and Callie’s mom too.” My mood was turning sour real quick.
    “Possibly, they’ve both been invited.”
    I reached into the cabinet above the stove for the honey bear I’d bought at the grocery store the other day. Pulling off the little red cap, I squeezed some into my steaming mug as I thought about how having Admer in my house made me feel. He’d withheld so much from me already. Kace reached into the silverware drawer and got me a spoon.
    I raised an eyebrow at him as I took it from his fingers. “Already have my kitchen memorized? This means you’ve spent too much time here,” I teased.
    He grinned cockily, his icy blue eyes lighting up as though my fun banter had been the icebreaker between the two of us he desperately needed to relax in my presence. “Oh, is that what it means, huh?”
    I stirred my tea, blending the honey with the sweet wild berry flavor, without looking at him directly. “It does.”
    Kace came around behind me, pinning me in place between his solid arms and the counter in front of me. He leaned in, putting his lips close to my ear and pressing his firm chest against my back.
    “Anything wrong with that?” he whispered. His hot breath slid against my ear, making goose bumps spread across my body.
    My sour mood disappeared
    “No, nothing I can think of at the moment,” I breathed, enjoying the close proximity between us.
    His lips descended, peppering the sensitive skin just beneath my earlobe with warm kisses that lulled my magick to just beneath the surface of my skin and dulled my mind. I enjoyed the feel of Kace, the way he seemed to awaken my magick, sparking it to life so it could course through me freely. Barely brushing his lips against the skin where my neck met with my shoulder, Kace’s warm lips made their way to my collarbone. When his tongue flicked out and licked along the bone, a slight moan escaped me.
    “I love to hear all the sounds you make,” he said.
    His lips, still pressed against my skin, grew firm as they twisted into an amused smile. He backed away, and I felt my magick begin to recede within me again, curling up into the place it had lived within me before he’d awakened it.
    “I could say the same about you,” I said as I turned around to face him. Struggling to rein in my hormones, I took a sip of my tea. Glancing at the clock beside the back door, I checked the time—there were about four hours until I met everyone’s parents. My heart seemed to speed up and slow down all at the same time as I realized this. “So how do you feel about cleaning?” I asked randomly.
    “Cleaning…” He dragged the word out and shrugged. “Not my favorite thing to do in my spare time, but not the worst either.”
    “Good answer.” I took another sip of my tea. “Because you’re going to help me clean the downstairs before everyone gets here.”

    I wasn’t a neat freak by any means, but that didn’t mean I wanted my house to appear trashed when I met everyone’s parents for